《沉思录·卷三·写于卡尔农图姆》第6条
If thou findest in human life anything better than justice, truth, temperance, fortitude, and, in a word, anything better than thy own mind's self-satisfaction in the things which it enables thee to do according to right reason, and in the condition that is assigned to thee without thy own choice; if, I say, thou seest anything better than this, turn to it with all thy soul, and enjoy that which thou hast found to be the best. But if nothing appears to be better than the Deity which is planted in thee, which has subjected to itself all thy appetites, and carefully examines all the impressions, and, as Socrates said, has detached itself from the persuasions of sense, and has submitted itself to the gods, and cares for mankind; if thou findest everything else smaller and of less value than this, give place to nothing else, for if thou dost once diverge and incline to it, thou wilt no longer without distraction be able to give the preference to that good thing which is thy proper possession and thy own; for it is not right that anything of any other kind, such as praise from the many, or power, or enjoyment of pleasure, should come into competition with that which is rationally and politically [or, practically] good. All these things, even though they may seem to adapt themselves [to the better things] in a small degree, obtain the superiority all at once, and carry us away. But do thou, I say, simply and freely choose the better, and hold to it.--But that which is useful is the better.--Well, then, if it is useful to thee as a rational being, keep to it; but if it is only useful to thee as an animal, say so, and maintain thy judgment without arrogance: only take care that thou makest the inquiry by a sure method.
注释摘要
这一段是典型的斯多葛式内心拷问，奥勒留在对自己进行一次严厉的价值澄清。他没有从宇宙秩序或神意出发，而是从我作为一个有理性的存在者，到底能在这一生中抓住什么这一点开始。开头的句式本身就是试探性的：如果你真的在人的生命里找到了比这些更好的东西，那就全身心转向它，享受它。这里的试探并非怀疑，而是一种思想实验，用意是逼迫自己看清楚，那些所谓的好东西和这四主德以及心…